HOT SPOTS
ARKANSAS RIVER (ROCKEFELLER POOL) Black bass are in backwater areas and are beginning to spawn. Bream are moving around the jetties and rip-rap and are biting well on Mepps spinners with black bodies and gold blades fished around rocks. White bass and stripers are below the dams and are biting well on wobble spoons. Catfishing is good in the evenings on whole shad.
LAKE CONWAY Crappie are biting fairly well on the flats. Jigs and minnows are the best bets. Largemouth bass fishing is good using softplastics. Bream are starting to move to the bank and are hitting on crickets or worms. Catfishing is good on night crawlers.
LAKE DARDANELLE Largemouth bass are biting excellently in the backwaters of the lower lake on Chatterbaits, swim jigs, flipping jigs and stick worms fished around points of spawning flats. Crappie have been biting very well on black/chartreuse jigs and minnows fished in the shallow backwaters around rocks with dead grass. Bream fishing is excellent using night crawlers and crickets fished 1-2 feet deep along rocks with grass around stumps in the creeks. Catfish are being caught using cut shad.
LAKE MAUMELLE Largemouth bass fishing is excellent using jigs and Alabama rigs early and using suspending baits in 5-8 feet of water later in the day. Crappie fishing is fair in 15 feet of water and on sunny days are moving into shallower water. Bream can be found 10-15 feet deep around brush. Catfish are being caught in 10-15 feet of water using stink bait, small bream and chicken livers.
LAKE OUACHITA Black bass are biting well on soft-plastics, particularly floating worms and Carolina-rigged lizards and brush hogs in watermelon seed, green pumpkin and watermelon candy. Bream fishing is fair using worms, grubs and crickets near brush in 20-25 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on minnows or jigs fished in 2-8 feet of water. Catfishing is good using live minnows or night crawlers on jugs or trotlines.